Fagan gets past early hurdles in national shearing champs

Fagan gets past early hurdles in national shearing champs swanson

Shearing legend David Fagan has made it safely past the first hurdle in his search for a 17th New Zealand Championships Open title in his last shear at the big event in home-town Te Kuiti.

While the rain fell outside the Waitomo Community Cultural and Arts Centre today, shearing’s 53-year-old “King” all-but reigned inside as 61 shearers took part in the heats on the second-day of the championships, and qualified in third place for the quarterfinals tomorrow afternoon – a few hours ahead of the final in the evening.

Topping the qualifiers was event favourite, defending champion and World champion Rowland Smith, of Hastings, unbeaten in four finals since returning to competition three weeks ago after a nine-month break.

Scotsman and Whangamomona farmer Gavin Mutch, who last month became the first shearer from overseas to win the Golden Shears open title in Masterton, was third qualifier.

A special touch was the performance of Napier shearer John Kirkpatrick, out-of-action with injury since partnering Fagan on a New Zealand team tour of the UK last June-July.

Kirkpatrick, who in 2002 became the first person to beat Fagan in a Golden Shears Open final in 13 years, had not shorn a sheep since November and underwent an operation just before Christmas.

Disappointed at having to miss Fagan’s last Golden Shears in March, he entered today’s heats and was able to make a tentative last-minute decision to compete in tribute to the veteran Fagan who is coming to the end of hs 37th year of competitive shearing, which has included winning 640 Open-class finals worldwide.

Shearing five sheep in the heats, Kirkpatrick surprised even himself by also qualifying for the quarterfinals, in 6thplace.

Fagan also qualified for the North Island Shearer of the Year final which was being shorn tonight(Friday):

Qualifiers in order of qualifying for the New Zealand Open Shearing Championship quarterfinals to be shornSaturday afternoon: Rowland Smith (Hastings) 1, Gavin Mutch (Scotland/Whangamomona) 2, David Fagan (Te Kuiti) 3, David Buick (Pongaroa) 4, Murray Henderson (Feilding) 5, John Kirkpatrick (Napier) 6, Nathan Stratford (Invercargill) 7, Mark Grainger (Te Kuiti) 8, Casey Bailey (Masterton) 9, Adam Brausch (Porangahau) 10, Digger Balme (Te Kuiti), 11, Aaron Haynes (Feilding) 12, James Fagan (Te Kuiti) 13, Tama Niania (Gisborne) 14, Dean Ball (Te Kuiti) 15, Dion King (Hastings) 16, Tony Coster (Rakaia) 17, Paerata Abraham (Dannevirke/Masterton) 18, Alan MacDonald (Pio Pio) 19, Jack Fagan (Te Kuiti) 20, Delwyn Jones (Wales/Te Kuiti) 21, Neville Osborne (Dargaville) 22, Troy Pyper (Invercargill) 23, Douglas Smith (Hastings) 24.

Other results:

Shearing:

Junior final (5 sheep): Ricci Stevens (Gisborne) 9min 28.09sec, 37.805pts, 1; Sean Gouk (Hamilton/Eketahuna) 8min 44.13sec, 38.207pts, 2; Laura Bradley (Woodville) 9min 44.46sec, 39.223pts, 3; Connor Puha (Kimbolton) 9min 48.08sec, 42.404pts, 4; Jeremy Morton (Gisborne) 9min 2.55sec, 44.128pts, 5; Mitchel Hoare (Te Kuiti) 13min 19.6sec, 53.18pts, 6.

Novice final (2 sheep): Cody Greig (Levin) 5min 49.87sec, 27.494pts, 1; Reuben Alabaster (Taihape) 6min 9.97sec, 32.999pts, 2; Jack Virtue (Taumarunui) 6min 8.55sec, 34.928pts, 3; Sarah Reid (Taihape) 8min 41.24sec, 38.562pts, 4; Bailey Rush (Kimbolton) 7min 58.67sec, 39.934pts, 5; Rapana Hohepa (Te Kuiti) 7min 25.66sec, 40.283pts, 6.

Woolhandling:

Senior final: Ana Braddick (Eketahuna) 79.68pts, 1; Tara Chapman (Matiere) 105.87pts, 2; Paige Brausch (Porangahau) 123.93pts, 3; Erica Reti (Balfour) 130.4pts, 4; Ashleigh Aporo (Masterton) 134.88pts, 5.

Junior final: Chiquita Tamepo (Tikitiki/Winton) 62.85pts, 1; Raewyn Sinclair (Taihape) 95.06pts, 2; Jaya Deva Henry (Milton) 98.54pts, 3; Sarah Hall (Pio Pio) 116.25pts, 4; Monique Mackay (Te Kuiti) 116.72pts, 5.

ENDS

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